Easy Guide to Changing Online Account Passwords

When was the last time you changed your Facebook, Twitter, Google, LinkedIn, and other online account passwords? If you’re like most people, it’s been a long time — you may even have the original passwords from when you first set up each online account. While your old passwords may be easy to remember, and perhaps even common across all of your accounts, it’s important to change them frequently. Here’s what you need to know about changing online account passwords.

Choose Unique Online Account Passwords

The problem with using the same passwords for each online account you have is this: If a cyber criminal figures it out, then all of your online accounts — including online banking accounts — are vulnerable. All a bad guy needs is one set of credentials. From there, he or she can attempt to log into random banking sites (usually with the help of software) until one of those sites magically unlocks.

Change Your Online Account Passwords on a Regular Basis

You’ll also want to change your online account passwords frequently. It’s not unusual for cyber criminals to steal and resell passwords to others. It may take some time before a stolen password is used for nefarious purposes. By changing your passwords regularly, you can stay one step ahead of the bad guys. An old password will be useless to them. With that in mind, don’t reuse your old favorite passwords, either.

Use a Password Generator to Create Strong Online Account Passwords

Coming up with memorable, but hard to crack passwords isn’t easy. That’s one of the reasons why most people stick with their old standbys. It’s even harder when each online account has its own security parameters which may require a mix of alphanumeric characters or have a minimum number of characters. Fortunately, technology is available to solve this problem.

Password generators are ideal for creating strong passwords. They generate random passwords based on specific criteria such as character count, mix of characters and symbols, limits on repeating characters, and more.

Here’s an example of a password generated by a password generator: h4Kw#XgtX7ANts. It’s rated as “strong” with its 14 random alphanumeric characters and a symbol. You can create even longer, stronger passwords with just a few minor adjustments to the password generator.

If you’re wondering how you’re going to possibly remember that password, along with all of the other unique online account passwords generated, rest easy. A password manager cansecurely stores and remembers your passwords for you, allowing you to use them as needed by simply entering one master password.

With hacking running rampant and large scale security breaches common, changing online account passwords regularly is a must. Use a password manager to outwit the bad guys and keep all of your online accounts locked up.